Sarto, Andrea del (Andrea d'Agnolo)

Florence, 1486 - Florence, 1530

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Ca. 1528. Oil on panel

This scene portrays the moment described in the Old Testament (Genesis 22, 1-19) in which, at the orders of Yahweh, Abraham prepares to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering. Seeing that Abraham follows his orders with blind faith, Yahweh considers his faithfulness to be proven and sends an angel to save Isaac at the last moment, ordering that a lamb be sacrificed in his place. This Bible passage is understood as a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ, who was sacrificed to God the father in order to save humanity. The main scene takes place in the foreground, with Isaac kneeling nude on the sacrificial altar. He is being held by his father, who wields a knife with his right hand. A lamb appears at the left and an angel at the right. The background is a landscape. According to Vasari, Sarto made three versions of this Bible story at the end of his career. The one at the Prado Museum is identified as the one painted for Paolo de Terrarrosa. It is smaller, though equal in quality to those at the Gemäldegalerie of Dresden and the Cleveland Museum. This work was acquired by the Marquis of Vasto upon the artist´s death and was later purchased by Charles IV (1748-1819). It was first documented in the Casita del Príncipe (“Prince´s House”): at El Escorial in 1779. In 1814, it was at the Palace of Aranjuez.